Updates and Articles, Blogs, and News Releases

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Of the more than $200 million the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected to reimburse the commonwealth for infrastructure damage from Irene and Lee, more than $30 million of that will be used to rebuild infrastructure to a higher standard.
The work is known as mitigation - an effort to break the cycle of damage and repair and reduce repetitive losses.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Federal assistance may be available to help Pennsylvania communities rebuild infrastructure to higher, more disaster-resistant standards and commonwealth officials are encouraging local governments to take advantage of that funding.
The assistance to communities is part of the aid that became available following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- When disaster strikes, the first response is to ensure personal and family safety, and then address the loss of property and possessions. There is a federal disaster program - Individual Assistance (IA) - that responds to these urgent needs of individuals and business owners.
Now, another essential element of disaster response is supporting the recovery efforts that help rebuild important community assets: Public Assistance (PA).

HARRISBURG, Pa. - More than one-half billion dollars in federal assistance to date is supporting the commonwealth's recovery from Irene and Lee, announced officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
As of Jan. 29, disaster assistance included:

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Pennsylvanians were approved for $420 million in disaster aid, but that figure will increase as pending applications continue to be processed, according to officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).
As of December 16, the breakdown of disaster aid reported for Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee included:

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Project Keystone, a federally funded crisis counseling program for survivors of Tropical Storm Lee, has initiated a toll-free-phone number for individuals emotionally affected by the disaster. The number is 1-855-789-7890.
Project Keystone counseling services are available to residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who live in Bradford, Columbia, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, and Wyoming Counties.

Public Assistance (PA): Disaster grant assistance available for communities to quickly respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies declared by the President

Emergency Work (Categories A-B): Work that must be performed to reduce or eliminate an immediate threat to life, protect public health and safety, and to protect improved property that is significantly threatened due to disasters or emergencies declared by the President

Permanent Work (Categories C-G): Work that is required to restore a damaged facility, through repair or restoration, to its pre-disaster design, function, and capacity in accordance with applicable codes and standards